It was a sunny summer day in the countryside of New York, it was a carefree afternoon spent horseback riding in the hills around the Stiles home. Tod was happy, really and truly happy in those days, the kind of happiness that is felt before adulthood, no worries and your life is made up of mom and dad, meals and what the next game you're going to play will be. Tod was riding with his father, they had stopped to rest on the crest of a hill and the elder Stiles had pulled his son unto his lap, hugging him. Tod was only seven at the time and hugged his father back, being a child he had no thoughts of lessening his manhood by showing this gesture of love.

"Tod, there will come a time in the future when you'll be a man and I won't be around to hug you and do things with you. But I want you to know and always remember that I love you," James said.

"I love you too, daddy," Tod said. Just like that he was up and out of his father's arms, dwelling not on what his father said, thinking that summer never ends...

"Daddy?" Tod called out in his fevered sleep.

Janet replaced the warm wet rag on his head with a cool one, he unconsciously shivered when she took his hand. "It's alright. I'm here with you, you're going to be okay," she soothed.

Tod didn't actually wake up but he kept a hold of her hand, Janet worried for him knowing he didn't have to suffer so much.

'Maybe Buz will be successful,' she thought. She hoped, she prayed, but even in prayer she doubted.

XXXXXXXX

Buz picked himself up off the floor and the real fighting began, before it was all over there were three cowboys knocked out on the floor where he had been. Buz looked around panting when they stopped coming, blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth and his pull over shirt was torn at the collar.

"Well, are you ready to listen now?!" he asked all the dumb faces staring at him.

A lean, tanned cowboy walked from the other end of the bar to stand beside Buz, he had a taunt face, showing off his jawline and cheekbones. His gray eyes went from Buz to the bartender who poured two whiskeys, the cowboy wore a light tan hat that had seen the weather and a blue jean button up shirt and darker jeans with well worn brown cowboy boots. He took one whiskey and put it in Buz's hand and took the other one for himself, he raised it toward Buz.

"You're a real hellbender, tumbleweed," he said.

Buz kept his angry eyes trained on the man as he downed his whiskey in one shot, burning him to the core as it went down. "I can be worse than that if I have to be," he said.

"You said you wanted to talk to Mr. Thomas?" the cowboy asked, also downing his drink.

"Yeah, that's right," Buz said. He used his torn shirt to wipe his mouth.

"Well anybody who can put down three men the way you did deserves to see the boss," the cowboy said.

"But, Carney!" another cowboy said, wide eyed.

Carney raised his hand. "I'm the foreman, I say it's alright," he said.

"Will you take me to him then, 'Mister' Foreman?" Buz asked.

"I will. Come with me," Carney said.

Buz followed the tall, lean man out the door and around the side of the bar to an open top jeep, Carney got in the driver's side and Buz got in beside him, a seat he was used to but the rest of the scenery was wrong. They had driven a couple of miles out of town and turned down a dirt road before either of them spoke again.

"You got a poorly partner I think you said," Carney spoke.

"I wouldn't be in this rig if I didn't," Buz said. He held onto the door as they hit one bump or rut after another.

Carney flashed a smile. "Country roads is rough, tumbleweed. But, uh, what they say is wrong with pard?" he drawled.

Buz guessed he wasn't from Texas, his voice was something more heard in Georgia or some place in the deep south. 'Scarlett fever, I heard you people know about that," he said.

Carney's mouth became a thin line on his face. "We do know about that. Took my sister," he said.

Buz looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry. But having gone through that loss you know my buddy needs that penicillin," he said.

"Yeah, I know why you need it, I just can't give it to you," Carney said.

"But you could maybe help me talk to your boss about-"

"I can't make Mr. Thomas do anything...but I hope he listens to you," Carney cut him off.

"Do you think he will?" Buz wanted to know.

"Honestly- no," Carney admitted.

They went over a small rise in the road and Buz now saw a brown wooden ranch house sitting on a hill, the only hill for miles around, it had a front porch and plain shutters on the windows. They pulled up to the front door and Carney got out with Buz on his heels as they went up the steps to the porch, Carney turned and put a hand on Buz's shoulder.

"Wait out here until I talk to the boss, I'll come and get you," he said.

Buz nodded and watched as Carney disappeared through the door taking his hat off as he went. Buz then turned to look at the land that seemed to go on forever, he realized it was how he felt about his and Tod's travels. He thought they would go on forever, place to place, job to job, oh Tod always said they end up settling down somewhere but Buz didn't know about that. What he did know was that he didn't want Tod's life to end in a dollar room in a fifty cent town and this Thomas was going to help him!